Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 261 Out of Bounds
In the orchard, sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, creating dappled patterns.

As Master Ma was using a ladder to pluck a small, newly grown fruit from a branch, he turned his head and saw a door appear in the air, with flames shooting into the sky from inside, as if to burn down the orchard.

Afterwards, Gu Jingnian walked out, and the door and flames disappeared into the sky.

"Young Master Gu is back." Ma Shi's face was adorned with a fawning smile, but there was a hint of respectful distance in his expression.

"Where is Yingyao?"

"She's getting ready, learning how to do makeup from Miss Hu." Ma Shi pointed to the palace by the orchard. "Young Master Gu is leaving today, and she wants to leave him with a good impression."

Gu Jingnian did not go to the palace immediately, but instead chatted casually with Ma Shi for a few more minutes.

"You've been in this industry for about half a year now, haven't you?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing Gu Jingnian's question, Ma Shi immediately hunched over and turned to adjust his basket. This was an unconscious resistance; after all, every time Gu Jingnian tried to investigate something, he always managed to cause trouble.

Gu Jingnian pressed further, "If that's the case, do you know how to refine pills?"

"This……"

Master Ma stroked his fine mustache, his small eyes darting around before finally speaking the truth: "If Young Master Gu wants to refine pills, why leave the Realm? You should know that refining pills in the Realm is completely different from refining them in the Central Plains."

"How different?"

"It's easy in the borderlands, but extremely difficult in the Central Plains."

Gu Jingnian asked, "Isn't the process the same?"

"No, a slight difference can lead to a huge error," Master Ma said with a bitter face. "In the realm, medicinal herbs, alchemy furnaces, and fire control are all readily available, and the world is also rich in the spiritual energy of the Yihai. There is very little I need to do. The Central Plains are completely different."

"But there are also people in Zhongzhou who have successfully refined pills."

"Then you can go find that person, young master."

Gu Jingnian continued, "If the person was knocked unconscious by peeking into the corpse's memories, how could he be revived?"

Master Ma's small eyes lit up with surprise as he asked, "Is that so?"

Gu Jingnian then recounted in detail how Zhao Boheng had investigated the memories of Longxushui.

After listening, Ma Shi pondered deeply for a while before speaking.

"I will prepare some medicine for Young Master Gu, but I am not sure if it can revive that person."

"it is good."

Master Ma glanced at Gu Jingnian again, hesitated, and then cautiously asked, "Judging from your words, young master, could it be... that you wish to refine pills?"

Gu Jingnian retorted, "What? Can't the dregs be used to refine them?"

"That is not what I meant."

Master Ma hurriedly explained, but a thought popped into his mind that he feared Gu Jingnian might have refined Yingyao into a pill.

Although Yingyao is powerful, she is devoted to Gu Jingnian. If she were to be refined, she would probably not know how to resist, which would greatly enhance Gu Jingnian's strength.

Of course, the thought flashed through his mind, but Ma Shi did not see any signs. He just felt that Gu Jingnian was different from before, so he felt a little more afraid.

evening.

This is the time Gu Jingnian left the boundary.

"Young master, will you really come back?" Yingyao asked. "If you don't come, I will come looking for you."

"Do not worry."

Gu Jingnian only said three words, but in his heart he was thinking that he had to become incredibly powerful in order to fulfill these promises.

He didn't act like a child, waved goodbye to Yingyao.

A door appeared behind him, beyond which lay a vast Gobi Desert.

"gone."

After Gu Jingnian finished speaking, he and Hu Jingnan walked towards the door.

"Son!"

At this final moment of parting, Yingyao suddenly couldn't hold back anymore and ran towards Gu Jingnian. She ran very fast, rushing towards the portal of shadows without a care in the world.

"Don't..."

Gu Jingnian had just reached the door when he saw this and quickly spoke up to stop him.

But it was too late. Yingyao ran to his side and grabbed his hand.

"let's go together."

Yingyao spoke with a firm tone, and took a step forward.

She stepped over the threshold and suddenly felt something was wrong. Looking around, she realized she was still in the lush palace garden.

Her hands were empty; she wasn't holding Gu Jingnian's hand.

The door that transmitted the image disappeared; Gu Jingnian had already left.

Master Ma explained, "People of the Realm cannot leave; you promised the Realm Lord."

Yingyao suddenly squatted down on the ground and burst into tears.

Master Ma panicked and stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "Don't cry, we'll meet again. You're still young, you can become even stronger..."

--------

Gu Jingnian was still looking back at Yingyao when the scene before him suddenly changed.

The green fades, and yellow sand rises from the sky.

The door was gone, and looking around, only Hu Jingnan was still standing there.

“We’re out,” Hu Jingnan said. “I know.”

Gu Jingnian felt a moment of loss, but quickly composed himself.

He has a lot to do, and he knows how to do it.

This journey into the realm made him abandon many of his naive ideas from the past. He would no longer run away or be stubborn. If he could only protect those around him by becoming like Liu Yuchuan or Shen Jichi, then he would become like them.

"Where are you going?" Hu Jingnan asked.

"Let's go back and find Yin Jingheng first."

"Hmm." Hu Jingnan then asked, "How do we get back?"

Bathed in the light, Gu Jingnian thought of Lian Xishan and tried to project his image through a door.

Once he crossed the boundary, his strength diminished, and the gate appeared and disappeared intermittently, seemingly leading to an endless Gobi Desert.

"Won't it get further and further away?" Gu Jingnian muttered to himself. "Suanzi, let's fly back."

"Ah."

Hu Jingnan didn't want to risk going through that door.

She just couldn't fly and was afraid of being left behind in this vast Gobi Desert by Gu Jingnian. Fortunately, her earlier use of "we" was a subtle way of asking Gu Jingnian to take her with him.

“Let’s go,” Hu Jingnan said again.

Gu Jingnian didn't speak, but his fiery wings unfurled behind him, and he looked at her.

Hu Jingnan stepped forward, head down, not looking at Gu Jingnian, and silently turned her back.

Soon, she felt him lean in, his body hot against her back, and a strong hand wrapped around her waist.

She then smoothed the stray strands of hair that had fallen beside her ear.

It was no use trying to straighten her hair; as soon as Gu Jingnian took to the air, the strong winds in the sky tore her hair into disarray.

Thankfully, it's finally not so hot anymore.

The two flew like this for many days. At first, they were restrained by the taboo of men and women not touching each other, but they gradually got used to it. Sometimes when they encountered strong winds or flocks of birds in the air, Hu Jingnan would grab Gu Jingnian's hands that were wrapped around her waist.

Of course, there were always awkward moments, and many at that... but the two of them kept it to themselves.

One night, Hu Jingnan even teased Gu Jingnian.

"I suppose Young Master Gu has taken quite a few ladies flying around in the air, hasn't he?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Isn't this a brilliant way to woo a woman?"

Undeterred by the teasing, Gu Jingnian deliberately retorted, "What? Miss Hu is tempted?"

"No," Hu Jingnan immediately denied.

"That's good."

Gu Jingnian's three words were infuriating. Hu Jingnan wanted to lash out, but she held back and kept it to herself, harboring a grudge.

After flying for several more days, just as the two were getting to know each other better, a large river appeared ahead, along with a dense crowd of people digging a channel along the river.

That was when Yin Jingheng was managing the Xihe River.

--------

Inside the tent, Yin Jingheng was reading a letter, his eyes filled with worry.

With no one in the tent, he made no attempt to conceal his emotions.

Suddenly, a report came from outside the tent.

"Your Highness, Marquis Chengye has returned."

"real?!"

Yin Jingheng's first reaction was to get up and greet him personally. After taking a few steps, he remembered the letter on the table, folded it, and put it in his pocket.

Upon exiting the main tent, he saw Gu Jingnian landing at the campsite in the distance, so he quickly walked over.

"Your Highness."

"I was worried something might have happened to you, but I'm glad you're alright."

After saying this, Yin Jingheng turned to Hu Jingnan and said, "It's been many years since we last met. You look much more disheveled than you did back then."

Hu Jingnan immediately recognized that this was indeed Yin Jingheng, and she politely replied, "Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness."

"Miss Hu, you may go and settle in first. I will host a banquet for you later."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Hu Jingnan bowed and, as she withdrew, gave Gu Jingnian a slight nod.

The two had supported each other along the way, and they probably wouldn't have many chances to meet again after today, so this nod was their farewell.

After she left, Gu Jingnian and Yin Jingheng exchanged a glance and said something almost in unison.

"I have something to say."

"Alright." Yin Jingheng smiled and said, "Let's talk inside the tent."

The two entered the main tent, and he raised his hand to signal that Gu Jingnian should speak first.

Gu Jingnian then said, "Your Highness, please go first."

“Alright.” Yin Jinggen’s matter was indeed quite important, so he didn’t stand on ceremony. He took a few steps and said, “I have received news from the capital that my father intends to marry Princess Wei Li of Zhao as his empress.”

(End of this chapter)